When I was a kid, this time of year meant decorating gingerbread houses and sugar cookies. I loved that tradition, but it also came with eating lots of candy. This can be your new HEALTHY treat tradition. Forget making gingerbread houses, make apple wreaths instead! They’re easier to make and healthier to eat. These edible apple wreaths also make for a really fun activity.

I mean, how fun would this be for those of you who have kids? Or, for those of you who are like me and want to organize an apple wreath decorating party for friends who, like me, are also in their late 20s (yes, I am in my “late 20s” until the day I turn 30). Really though, this would be a fun activity for everyone at your next holiday party.

Let me talk about the star of these apple wreaths: almond butter! It is literally the glue holding the toppings on the wreaths.

I bought the almond butter and several of the toppings from ALDI. I actually only recently learned that they sell things like almond butter, cashew butter, nuts, etc. and at a price that’s a lot cheaper than what I normally spend. $5.99 for a 12 ounce jar of almond butter? Yes, please.

So why am I talking about ALDI? Well I’ve been meaning to tell you that a few weeks ago, they invited me to visit their headquarters in the suburbs of Chicago! (If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably already knew that). Apparently, someone at ALDI found the blog post that I wrote earlier this year called Real Food at ALDI and so they asked me to come check out their Test Kitchen. I took part in their Switch & Save session, where they basically had me + other bloggers do a blind taste test of their products vs. the national brand. I tried things like almond butter, orange juice, guacamole, tortilla chips, etc. And to be honest, the products all tasted nearly identical. I also tried a lot of goodies from their gluten-free line (do you see them in the picture below? Many are also dairy and soy-free!).

So many gluten-free baked goods!! I obviously had a good time 😉

I never expected to be an ALDI fan – I only started shopping there a few months ago (in combination with my local farmers markets of course). But ever since writing the Real Food at ALDI post and since visiting their office, I’ve found myself going there more often – especially for nuts, nut butters, and other gluten-free items. What I like about ALDI is that they appear to be listening to us – the consumers. We want healthy food at an affordable price and they’re giving that to us with options like grassfed beef, organic vegetables, non-gmo foods.

While I was there, I also found out that they’re removing all certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils and added msg from all of their products by the end of this year, which is literally a month away (hello, December – I see you!).

hiii, I’m in the center with the long brown hair (holding the selfie stick)

You can find most of the ingredients used in this recipe at ALDI: organic apples, almond butter and toppings! Or you can use whatever you have available at home. This is a really simple, stress-free recipe that will hopefully become your new healthy holiday tradition!

Oh, just don’t be surprised if the toppings end up everywhere… (yes, 100 percent talking from experience).

Toppings:

Instructions

Spread nut or seed butter on top of the apples (or add the nut butter to a zip top bag and snip a corner to make spreading easier).

Decorate with toppings of choice!

Notes

If you don’t plan on decorating the apple slices right away, then first soak them in a bowl of lemon water (ratio of 1 cup water to 1 tablespoon lemon or pineapple juice) for 3-4 minutes to keep them from browning right away.

Fun idea with these apple wreaths! Love that you can customize them with different colored toppings. It was awesome to meet another Pittsburgh blogger (in Chicago of all places!) and hopefully we can do our coffee date soon!

South Asian Persuasion

by Ashley Singh Thomas

Miss eating your favorite Indian recipes now that you're gluten-free? This eBook includes 100+ north Indian and south Indian recipes that have been converted to be Paleo-friendly! These recipes are so flavorful that you'll never get bored following your new, healthier lifestyle!